The conference was as busy as last week, and we are squarely in league play. The weather is getting crisp, the football is getting important, and I can’t stop being wrong about the Indiana Hoosiers. Week seven created some substantial changes in the power ratings. I can’t stop being bad, so keep that in mind (you may be able to profit from it).
1: Indiana
6-0, Vs Michigan State
I am a big dum dum when it comes to Indiana. Cignetti grinds my gears like no other coach ever has. My distaste for the man
off the field is nobody’s fault but his own. Cignetti’s might be the most excellent coaching job I have ever seen. The Hoosier went to the West Coast and controlled the Ducks all night. The game wouldn’t have been close if it weren’t for a Mendoza pick-6. Their pass rush impressed me the most about the Hoosiers’ performance. Dante Moore was sacked 6 times on Saturday. I can no longer fight the fact that Indiana is a powerhouse.
2: Ohio State
6-0, @ Wisconsin
I couldn’t have been more wrong about Indiana, but I nailed Ohio State. The Buckeyes had more talented players at every position on the field. Ohio State is looking like their old self by easily rolling through Big Ten play. The Buckeyes showed limited strain against Illinois. Ryan Day still has a Michigan problem, but everything before that should be smooth sailing. Wake up the Buckeyes fans when they visit the big house in November.
3: Oregon
5-1, @ Rutgers
Oregon fans are right to feel concerned about their home loss to Indiana. The Ducks were backpedaling all day long. Indiana came out of the gate with more juice, and Oregon didn’t look ready for it. Dante Moore looked very pedestrian, going for 186 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Dan Lanning didn’t prepare the Ducks for the heavyweight bout it became. Losing at home is a tough pill to swallow for Oregon. The Ducks are still a great football team, but are mortal.
4: USC
5-1, @ Notre Dame
The Trojans rolled the Wolverines in Los Angeles on Saturday. Jayden Maiava played great, but wasn’t the main story from the dominant win. Freshman walk-on running back King Miller was the star of the night. Miller had 18 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown in the Coliseum—such an incredible story for a walk-on running back to excel at a school with abundant talent. The Trojans kept the Wolverine rushing attack at bay and took advantage of Underwood’s interception. Lincoln Riley is rising from the ashes, and the conference should be on notice.
5: Washington
5-1, @ Michigan
The Huskies leapfrog up to the five spot this week after their Friday night victory against Rutgers. Demond Williams Jr. had a video game-like stat line: 21-27 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns. Williams was also Washington’s leading rusher, with 13 carries for 136 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. The Huskies are such a joy to watch play football. Washington will go into Ann Arbor and take down the floundering Wolverines.
6: Illinois
4-2, BYE WEEK
Illinois has to pretend that last Saturday didn’t even happen. The Illini’s tires may have been pumped up too much before the season. The expectation never should have been to beat teams like Ohio State. Illinois’ losses have been to the number 1 and 3 ranked AP teams. The losses were ugly, but that is to be expected. If Illinois fans can rein in expectations, they can still have a successful season.
7: Iowa
4-2, Vs Penn State
Why not us? Why not now? Indiana being an actual juggernaut excites me for the rest of the season. The Hawks looked much better against Indiana than the Ducks did. Iowa rolling Wisconsin isn’t all that impressive apart from the fact that it was over in the first quarter. The ground game is one of the best in the conference behind the big hanciendas upfront. Gronowski was very shaky, but I’m willing to chalk that up to not fully recovering from injury. Iowa is better than we’re getting credit for. For now, keep stacking wins, and they can’t ignore us. Beat Penn State.
8: Nebraska
5-1, @ Minnesota
The Huskers went out to Maryland and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Nebraska has one thing going for them: they’re finally winning the close ones. Should they have been in a close game with the Terrapins? Probably not. The Huskers have definitely shaken off the choking habit they had. I’m still not convinced they’re playoff-ready, but they’re no longer an automatic loss in a close game.
9: Michigan
4-2, Vs Washington
The Wolverines have really disappointed me this season. Bryce Underwood has had growing pains, but those were expected. The defense has been the real letdown. In ESPN’s defensive efficiency rating, Michigan is 33rd in the country. Not a bad place to be unless you’re Michigan. When defense is what you lean on, 33rd doesn’t cut it. The Previous two years were ranked 1st and 12th. Sherrone Moore has done a horrible job of continuing the success that Harbaugh built up.
10: UCLA
2-4, Vs Maryland
Deshaun Foster must’ve been pretty bad, huh? The Bruins are leaps and bounds improved since the firing of Foster. UCLA went into East Lansing and put a butt whooping on the Spartans. Nico Iamaleava is playing efficient football with a complementary running game. The current staff will make the athletic director’s job very difficult. Any Big Ten team should be afraid if they have to travel to the Rose Bowl.
11: Minnesota
4-2, Vs Nebraska
The Gophers are happily hanging out in the middle of the turbulent Big Ten. Sure, they might be mediocre, but it doesn’t feel too bad when you look around. The Gopher faithful will be happy to travel to Nashville for a bowl game and call it a year. P.J. Fleck is doing a great job of flying under the radar. The Gophers will win the easy games; sometimes, there is no shame.
12: Maryland
4-2, @ UCLA
I was fooled by the early-season Terrapins again. They had a big win slip away in the last moments against Nebraska. Mike Locksley has been spinning his wheel at Maryland for some time now. The football program has no juice. All Terrapin fans can do is hope Malik Washington stays and the basketball team looks good.
13: Northwestern
4-2, Vs Purdue
The Wildcats have turned the ship around from their shaky start. Ryan Braun is an outstanding coach and has learned that Preston Stone is not very good. The Wildcats ran it 39 times against Penn State on Saturday. Braun and the cats have two conference wins in the monstrous Big Ten.
14: Purdue
2-4, @ Northwestern
Purdue is the marker for where the real garbage teams come into play. Nobody has a Big Ten win this year below Northwestern. The Boilermakers have been competitive in their games and will bust through once they get a shot at another bottom-feeder.
15: Michigan State
3-3, @ Indiana
I was very wrong about Michigan State turning the program around. Aidan Chiles has reverted to the 2024 version of himself, and the defense is dreadful. Spartan fans should start looking at Izzo’s dogs instead of whatever the football team is.
16: Rutgers
3-3, Vs Oregon
(defeated Italian noises)
17: Wisconsin
2-4, Vs Ohio State
I hoped Iowa would be the team to get Fickell the axe. Ohio State is coming into town and should have no problem embarrassing the Badger faithful in Camp Randall.
18: Penn State
3-3, @ Iowa
We were robbed of having a ranked Penn State having to come into Kinnick at night. Franklin being gone marks the end of a successful but mildly disappointing Happy Valley tenure.
